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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · bat · pass · mouse · mate · saw · rash · scale

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rule — a law
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mate — a partner
  7. saw — the tool
  8. scale — in music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — government
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rash — hasty
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com